Was there a boss who was similar to Michael? In godfather 2 he appeared to be out of sight and out of mind. If you compare that to some of the old school mafia dons like Frank Costello, many people would see him walking around the streets. You get the sense that Michael was always very calculated and was rarely if ever seen by lower level member of his family. Also, if a mafia boss in the 40s(when Michael first became boss I believe) wiped out the rest of the heads of the 5 families like Michael did and assumed control of everything, would that boss have been as successful as Michael was down the line?